Introduction

ZynAddSubFX is a open source software synthesizer capable
of making a countless number of instruments, from some common
heard from expensive hardware to interesting sounds that you'll
boost to an amazing universe of sounds.

The project was started in March 2002 by Nasca Octavian Paul.
He began to write ZynAddSubFX in order to create a synthesizer
which could produce beautiful sounds, while being freely available to
anybody who needs it.

This Project is now being actively maintained by
Mark McCurry since 2009.

You can donate to Mark McCurry using Paypal:

You can donate to Paul Nasca (maintainer 2002-2010) using Paypal:

Features of ZynAddSubFX:

Realtime synth

Polyphonic synth (allows playing more than one note at
once)

Mutlitimbral synth (allows playing more than one
instrument at once)

Microtonal capabilities with any scale, up to 128
notes per octave, and key mapping

Three synthesizer engines:

"ADsynth" or "ADnote" is
a complex engine which makes sounds by adding a number of voices.
Each one has filters, envelopes, LFOs, morphing, modulation (Ring
Modulation, Phase Modulation... the modulators can have any
shape), resonance, etc. Each voice includes a very powerful
waveform generator with up to 128 sine/non-sine harmonics. You can
use Fourier synthesis or if you don't like it you can
wave-shaping/filtering of functions. This engine includes
anti-aliasing.

"SUBsynth" or "SUBnote" is a
simple engine which makes sounds through subtraction of
harmonics from white noise

"PADsynth" or "PADnote" is engine
that makes very beautiful pads and other
instruments. (these instruments can be exported for use with
other programs too)

Legato, Poly, and Mono modes

Instruments can be organized in kits, which allows you to make
drum kits or layered(mixed) instruments; this makes possible to
use more than one instrument for a single part. It is possible to
choose what items from the kit should be processed by the Part's
effects.

The effects can
behave as System Effects or as Insertion Effects;
this allows to use many effects at the same time. You can put any
insertion effect on any part(or more insertion effects to same
parts, if you like so) or you can put the insertion effect to
Master output (very useful if you use the EQ effect). Also, you
can have instrument's effect (which save with the instrument).

Filters up to
60dB/octave (or more..); filters can be analogic
(LPF,HPF, BPF,etc.), formant(advanced formant
filters) and state variable (SVF)

Envelopes can have
ADSR (or ASR, etc..) modes or can be free modes (with any
shape)

Many settings have a
"randomness" option, which you can make instruments that
every time produces a subtle different sound; this produces a
very pleasant effect (like analogue synths or natural instruments
that can't produces exactly same sound twice). Because of this,
even if it is digital synthesis, it sounds "warm". Listen the ogg
vorbis demos from this page to hear this effect.

The specifications
can be easily changed, so (for example) if you want to change the
number of voices or parts to a higher value or to allow a higher
number of effects at the same time, there is necessary to change
only a single value from the source file (globals.h) and
to recompile the program

Intuitive and easy
to use User Interface with Clipboard and many objects has
user presets

Midi
support (supports many controllers) and (if you want) JACK
support

A built-in
Virtual Keyboard which let you to use it even if you don't
have a real midi keyboard

The graphical user
interface can be completely disabled if the user need so

It is a
free program, licensed under version 2 of the
GNU General Public License

LASH support

DSSI audio output

Over 300
high quality instruments included

Many other
features... It is is impossible to describe all this program's
features in just a page